Monday, November 22, 2010

Tie-dyed snowflakes tutorial

Materials needed:
coffee filters
scissors
food coloring

I have been making tie-dye snowflakes ever since I was a kid, and I love the way they brighten up a wintry window. They are also very simple to make. You start with a coffee filter and fold it in half, then half again, and one more time until it is shaped like a slice of pie. Cut out shapes along the folded sides and outside edge to form the snowflake design.

I cover the table in newspaper before we start dying the filters. To prepare the "dye", simply mix food coloring and water in small cups. I used about 10 drops of food coloring for 1/4 c. of water, but you could use more or less depending on how saturated you like the colors. Then, after your design has been cut and the coffee filter is still folded, dip various edges of the filter in different colors of dye, letting the excess drip off between colors.

This next part is the hardest step because the filter is pretty fragile at this point. Very carefully unfold your snowflake while it is still wet and set it on newspaper to dry.

C also enjoyed playing fidgets from Design Squad, and making pie crust with the 4H cooking group today, and she spent a couple of hours only communicating through sign language and gestures. It was fun for both of us to see communication in a different way.

About Me

I am Nikole, mama to three lovely and lively kiddos. Cam is 14 years old, Sylvi is 11, and Ayla is 8. This blog is generally a chronicle of our country-living, respectful-parenting, joy-seeking, radical-unschooling life. It is a swirl of fun, learning, and creativity, all in a ragamuffin style ;-)